Type-04 Shiranui Second
The Shiranui Second is a product of the Joint Tactical Surface Fighter Development Program (XFJ Program), a plan initiated in 2001 that aimed to overcome the development ceiling of the Type-94 Shiranui and improve its battlefield performance; supporters of the Shiranui Second had hoped that a major international breakthrough could be achieved by using American development data and technology. The four participating companies were the USA's Boening, and the three Japanese companies of Fugaku Heavy Industries, Mitsuhishi Heavy Industries, and Kawazaki. Performance targets for the XFJ Program are the following: #Agility and mobility equal to 3rd generation TSFs of other countries (eg. EF-2000 Typhoon, F-22A Raptor). #At least a 30% increase in uptime. #Reduction of decline in efficiency due to its equipment load weight. Type-04 Shiranui Second Following the success of the XFJ-01, the Shiranui Second is considered for adoption as Imperial Japan's next main TSF and given the designation of Test Type-01, for use in combat trials against the Test Type-02/F-15SEJ Gekkou that, at that time, was also being considered for adoption into the IJA/MDF as the next mainline TSF of Imperial Japan. The Test Type-01 was first deployed in April 2003 at the Cheorwon Hive during Operation Sledgehammer. Operated by the Fuji Tactical Fighter Traning Group's 11th Squadron ''Skuld'', the unit tested the Shiranui Second, equipped with XM3 and armed with the new Type-02 Squad Support Gun, in both maneuver and fire capabilities by moving from one side of the Hive to another via maneuvering through the Hive, then providing fire support to allied forces. The Shiranui Seconds of the Fuji TFTG were also later deployed to Sakhalin in August 2003 to assist the Soviet Army's 211 Batal'on Zhar in their advance towards Objective 19. In 2004, Boening licensed the production of several components of the Shiranui Second to fulfill refurbishment requirements of existing units, and the Shiranui Second was designated the TSF-Type-04. XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Phase 1 The first phase of the program consisted of modifying a Type 94-1C Shiranui Type-1C for longer operating time with US-manufactured components, including low-power consumption components installed in its fuselage, and swapping out the Shiranui Type-1C's Fugaku Heavy Industries FE108-FHI-225 engines for General Electronics FE140-GE-100 engines in its Type-91 Jump Units. Although there are sporadic problems caused by 2nd Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges's unfamiliarity with the TSF, it obtained satisfactory results during testing at Yukon Base, and later, on the battlefield on the Kamchatka Peninsula, where it fielded the EML-99X Electromagnetic Induction Launcher with no problems. During the Ц-04 Frontline Supply Base Incident, Yuuya engaged the BETA that were attacking the Soviet base in combat while attempting to retrieve the core module of the EML-99X and rescue IRG Lieutenant Takamura Yui, resulting in the Phase 1 being severely damaged. However, Yuuya managed to keep the unit operational, and was able to return to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Base without assistance after being rescued by the Soviet Army's 211 Batal'on Zhar. Upon its return to Yukon Base, it was modified into the XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Phase 2. XFJ-01 Shiranui Second Phase 2 For the second stage of the MSIP (Multi-Stage Improvement Plan), Boening upgraded the Phase 1 using lessons learnt from the Phoenix Initiative, resulting in the Phase 1's external transformation to the unique form of the Shiranui Second. The head unit has been equipped with the newest active electronically scanned radar as well as infrared target acquisition system. Thruster units were added to the shoulders to increase mobility, and the legs have been enlarged to increase propellant capacity. In response to the Soviet Su-37 Terminator, Boening quickly developed and installed thruster units for the Phase 2's waist blocks; unlike those on the Su-37, these waist thrusters are given vectoring nozzles. Improvements were made to speed up deployment of the combat dagger from the forearm sheath by several tenths of a second, and the TSF's Type-74 PB Blade from its Type-74 Mount Pylon by about one second. Two units were produced for testing as part of Project PROMINENCE. The first unit, XFJ-01a, was initially painted in white and red demonstration colors during its unveiling and early combat exercises, and assigned to US Army 2nd Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges. It was later repainted all white. The second machine, XFJ-01b, was painted in a dark-blue color scheme, and would be piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Tarisa Manandal. With the XFJ-01a, Yuuya would continue to test the machine in both JIVES tests and the subsequent Blue Flag exercises. Taking part in the first match of Blue Flag, Yuuya fought against the F-18E/Fs of COSEAN's Garuda Test Flight, managing to avoid their fire and overwhelm them. In his second match, Yuuya and Argos Test Flight would face off against ''Bao-Feng'' Test Flight, with Yuuya scoring a decisive victory over UFC Lieutenant Cui Yifei's J-10X by maximizing the innate strengths of the Type-74 PB Blade that the XFJ-01 was equipped with; another contributing factor was his increased knowledge of the XFJ-01a's operation that was gained from his previous experiences. The XFJ-01b, piloted by Tarisa, would also experience its first combat action in this match. While Yuuya's subsequent matches in Blue Flag would have eventually brought him against the ''Infinities'', Yukon Base then came under attack by the RLF shortly after his victory over Bao-Feng. Both the XFJ-01a and XFJ-01b would be tested in live combat, with Yuuya and Tarisa in the XFJ-01a and XFJ-01b easily overpowering the terrorist-controlled automated F-16s; Yuuya also used the XFJ-01a to engage manned insurgent TSFs in combat. The XFJ-01s later fought against automated MiG-29s, the MiG-29OVTs of Major Christopher and his allies, and the BETA that had been released from underneath Yukon Base. The units then split their paths in order to stop the BETA; Yuuya and the XFJ-01a would team up with the F-22A EMD Phase units of US Army 2nd Lieutenants Leon Kuze and Sharon Heim, while the XFJ-01b, piloted by Tarisa, would engage BETA heading for the Red Shift line alongside Takamura Yui's Type-00F. The XFJ-01b was severely damaged when it encountered the berserk Scarlet Sisters, and the XFJ-01a itself was also damaged in the attempt to stop the Scarlet Sisters. An attempt was later made by Yuuya Bridges to further upgrade the Shiranui Second Phase 2, but the blueprints were abandoned in favour of the upgrade plan for the Shiranui Second Phase 2 into its final Phase 3 form. XFJ-01 Shiranui Second Phase 3 The XFJ-01 Shiranui Second Phase 3 is the unique result of the fusion of the YF-23 Black Widow II external frame with technologies from the Shiranui Second Phase 2, and was headed and completed by Boening executive Frank Heinemann. As a result, the unit heavily resembles the YF-23; it also gains most of its features, including the foot-mounted blades, and its unique arm-mounted blade sheaths with accommodation for multiple weapon sizes. Apart from its entirely new head unit, design changes were also made to the skirt area, creating a smoother frontal profile in the hip block area. The protrusions on the original YF-23's shoulders have been replaced with Blade Vanes, and the lower portions of its shoulder armor changed to resemble that of the Shiranui-series'. An additional armor piece was also added underneath each shoulder-mounted thruster. Unlike the YF-23, the Phase 3 uses the Type-91 Jump Units of the Type-94/Type-97/Shiranui Second-series; however, 80% of the parts used in its construction are new, and its size is slightly larger, resulting in a 46% increase in operation time under normal conditions, and a 22% increase under combat conditions. However, the model of the engine used is unknown. The Mount Pylons used by the XFJ-01 Phase 3 appear similar to the Type-74 models used by all Japanese forces. However, the XFJ-01 Phase 3 has retained the YF-23's traits of being able to carry up to four mounts at any time, and its gun mounts have adopted the same over-the-shoulder deployment style of Soviet TSFs. The redesign has increased the shoulder articulation of the XFJ-01 Phase 3 by 15%. XFJ-01a Phase 3, which used a two-seater setup to accommodate special equipment, was equipped with certain technologies that had been blocked from export by the US Congress; this included experimental second-generation active stealth functions that used data-link hacking and information manipulation rather than airframe-based stealth features, allowing for the possibility of even masking infra-red unit signatures (the F-22A's stealth was considered a first-generation feature), as well as an integrated supply support mechanism (JRSS, a feature which was also used for the F-22A Raptor), that allows the XFJ-01a Phase 3 to replenish straight from other TSFs, including those that have been shot down. These features are one-off and specific to XFJ-01a only; they are not present in the Phase 3 Unit 2 piloted by Takamura Yui, painted in identical colors to the Shiranui Second Phase 2 Unit 2. Performance-wise, the Phase 3 is a large improvement over the Phase 2. While the XFJ Program was initially planned to have ended with the XFJ-01 Phase 2, the XFJ-01 Phase 3 was proposed by Frank Heinemann, as a counter to the Imperial Ministry of Defence's considerations to introduce the Su-47 Berkut to Japanese forces; however, the Empire of Japan did not have any plans to formally adopt this unit, as its main purpose was to match Soviet manufacturers. Its tentative name of "Kyokkou" (極光, aurora) was proposed for it by Lieutenant Colonel Iwaya Eiji, carrying on the naming traditions of Imperial Army TSFs. The first XFJ-01 Phase 3, XFJ-01a, was piloted then-AWOL US Army 2nd Lieutenant Yuuya Bridges, and last saw combat in the immediate region around the Evensk Hive, during Operation Ouka. An XFJ-01 Phase 3 was later seen in parade flight at Nellis Base alongside YF-23 PAV-1; this machine was piloted by a Lieutenant Shouji Yuzou. It bore the test demonstrator colors of the original XFJ-01a Phase 2, the Shiranui Second once piloted by Yuuya Bridges. Trivia *The XFJ-01a demonstration paint scheme bears some resemblance to the colors used in the real life T-2 CCV experimental aircraft of the JSDF. The XFJ-01b's paint scheme is similar to that of the JSDF acrobatic unit Blue Impulse when they were flying the T-2. *For the Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse (Anime), most of the XFJ-01a and XFJ-01b's deployment history remained the same, with the exception of their opponents; against Major Christopher, he fought the Su-47E rather than the MiG-29OVT Fulcrum. The XFJ-01a is later damaged in the attempt to stop the rampaging Scarlet Sisters in the same Su-47E, rather than against the Su-37UB Terminator. *In the Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse (Anime), the Phase 1 was first seen with a Type-87 Assault Cannon equipped during the second set of military exercises at Kamchatka; afterwards, however, the unit used an AMWS-21 Combat System during Yuuya's attempt to rescue Yui from the abandoned Soviet base. The summarized photonovels in Cross Operation Vol. 2, however, depict the Phase 1 in a complete Gun Sweeper loadout, using only Type-87s Assault Cannons. Image Gallery |-|Appearances= Type-94-1C Shiranui Type-1C anime ver.png|(TE An.) Type-94-1C. Shiranui Second Front.png|Shiranui Second Phase 1, TE Anime. XFJ-01a_Shiranui_Second_Phase_2_unit_1_anime_ver.png|(TE An.) XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Unit 1 in demonstrator colors. Shiranui Second Phase 2 Front.png|Shiranui Second Phase 2, TE Anime. mecha_1_xfj_01a.png|(TE An.) XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Unit 1 in standard colors. mecha_1_xfj_01b.png|(TE An.) XFJ-01b Shiranui Second Unit 2. |-|Gallery= World's strongest lightstick.png|(TE An.)Shiranui Second Phase 1, armed with the EML-99X. Seven swell effect maburabu version.jpg|(TE An.) Shiranui Second Phase 1 firing the EML-99X. Note the ammunition crate affixed over the space for its Mount Pylons. VLCpic-YAMATO DAMASHII stance1.png|(TE An.) XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Phase 1 in melee combat stance. VLCpic-YAMATO DAMASHII stance2.png|(TE An.) XFJ-01a Shiranui Second Phase 2 in melee combat stance. VLCpic-Shiranui Determined.jpg|(TE An.) Close-up of the Phase 1's head. VLCpic-Dont mess with Shiranui 2.jpg|(TE An.) Close-up of the Phase 2's head (Unit 1 colors). tarisa finally does something right.png|(TE An.) The XFJ-01b dual-wielding a Type-74 PB Blade and a Type-65 PB Knife. big fat pride.png|(TE An.) Right to left: The XFJ-01a and XFJ-01b. Vestige_dot_mp3.fw.png|(TE-VN) Shiranui Second Phase 3, after leading the assault on the new BETA type at Evensk. Category:TSF Category:Total Eclipse Category:TSFIA